It is reported by Bassel et al in J. Bacteriol., 123(1), 1975, Pp. 118-122 that the accumulation of porphyrins has been observed in many microbial species including both photosynthetic and heterotrophic bacteria, yeast and protozoa. In particular, they report a mutant of the yeast Sacchharomycopsis lipolytica a sexual form of Candida lipolytica (now termed Yarrowia lipolytica) that accumulates and secretes protoporphyrin IX.
Yoshizaki, et al. report in Agric. Biol. Chem., 49(3), 1985, Pp. 879-879, that the ability to convert phenylacetic acid to 2,5-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (homogentisic acid--HA) is widely present in fungi. They report experimentation with fungi of the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Gibberella, Fusarium, Mucor, Rhizopus, Helminthosporium, Cylindrocarpon, Neurospora, Cephalosporium, Chaetomidium, Mortierella, Phellinus, Pellicularia, and Byssochlamys.
Amides and esters of homogentisic acid are described as being useful in the oxidative dyeing of hair in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,803.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,720 there is disclosed a chemical process for preparing homogentisic lactone, a precursor of homogentisic acid which the patentees characterize as being of value as a photographic dye developer and as an intermediate in the manufacture of dyestuffs and pharmaceuticals.
Oediger et al. disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 3,551,438 the reaction of homogentisic acid lactone with certain amies to produce homogentisic acid or amine derivatives thereof which exhibit strong and long lasting choleretic activity with low toxicity.